Wednesday, April 30, 2014

About a week ago I ran the B.A.A. 5k the first part of the B.A.A. Distance Medley. For those who are unfamiliar with the B.A.A. Distance Medley this is a three race series through out the year a 5k, 10k and half. If you complete them all you get a special distance medley medal at the end of the half in the fall. You can sign up for all three in January or you can hope you are lucky and get into the races when registration opens. I have chosen to try my luck!

Moving right along My Mom and I signed up for the 5k a few months ago which took place the Saturday of Marathon weekend. I had been looking forward to this race since I signed up. I knew the city would be buzzing with the excitement of the marathon and I was also looking forward to going to the marathon expo!

If you read my blog on the B.A.A. Half (click the link if you haven't!) The numbers were sent out to you the same way a few weeks before the race. Like I had mentioned then and still feel the same way I love this part of the B.A.A. races. I love running expos but picking up your number the day before a race when the venue is not super close can sometimes be a pain.

The race started at 8am so we headed up pretty early, leaving the cape around 5. We got there around 6:30 parked in the Copley parking lot and walked down Boylston to the start of the race which was near the common on Charles street. We got there around 7 and it was a bit more chilly then I had expected it to be, so we hung around in our warm clothes a bit. It was already super crowded when we arrived so we headed straight to get our t shirts and then to check our bag. For those signing up for the 10k or the half the race shirts are awesome but they run really big. I was going to get a small but it fits like a medium so I ended up getting and XS and its a little big but fits pretty good so make sure you go a size down.
We got our bag for bag check which were supplied and you were only allowed to use their clear bags. All other bags were not allowed which was not the case for the half in the fall you could have used a backpack if you wanted but security was definitely heightened for this event which was understandable. More on that to come.

We waited as long as possible to take our warm clothes off and then headed over to the start around 7:45. I was still so shocked by the number of people around. The way that corrals are set up for this event like the half you just go where you feel your pace is so we went in the 8:30 to 9 minute pace. A little fast for us but I wanted to get out as quick as possible. I wasn't holding anything back in this race. The corrals started to get super crowded as the race start grew closer and I will admit I was getting stressed about getting out. I was using this race to see where I was at speed wise. This did end up being a problem.

The race got underway and it was just way too crowded they had let a lot more runners register this year then last year and I think this was a mistake. There were almost 10,000 runners and there was just no where to go when you started, lots of pushing and shoving... I may have done a bit of this myself(Sorry to anyone I might have elbowed.) Thankfully all the streets of the race were closed so people could spread out a bit but I felt so closed in until we hit about mile 2-2.5, then I kicked it into full on sprint mode. The route is super flat except for a little on ramp but I really wanted to break out and run faster but I couldn't move. This is my biggest complaint for the race.

One of the best part of the races was running down Boylston through the Marathon finish line. The city was just so alive that this part gave you chills. Lots of people stopping and taking pictures it was just really neat. Once you crossed that you didn't have much further to go. The race started and ended in the same spot which was nice. Once you crossed the finish line you got your medal and then headed to grab your food bag. They gave out a lot of food and drinks which is always nice to get. I grabbed my swag and waited for my mom to come in a few minutes after me. We both had good races and loved the course.

As for the added security, there were police officers EVERYWHERE and you could tell people were a bit on edge. Every loud noise or scream you heard your heart did stop for a second. Everyone knew that everything would be ok but you could tell people were more aware of their surroundings, and praying that everything was going to go smoothly not only that day but for the remainder of the weekend. All of the race volunteers, security and police officers were great at keeping everything as normal as possible but still making sure everything was going to go according to plan. I will say I have never felt so safe in the City as I did this weekend.

All in all I did love the race the energy and excitement that filled the city definitely added to that. I liked the course it was very fast and flat. There were several water stops, I did not stop at any of them but if you needed them there was one at every mile with water and gatorade. These races are always super organized with getting your shirts and bag check and the finish line too with getting your medal and food which is always a plus. The one thing I am hoping for come next year is they cut down the number of entrants, but I highly recommend running this race and will be signing up again next year! Also the added bonus of going to the marathon expo is another reason to sign up for this.

Shout out to the amazing girls of Swirlgear it was awesome finally meeting you in person. For those who don't know about Swirlgear go check them out they have amazing running clothes that are super cute!

Also sign up for the B.A.A. 10k is tomorrow morning at 10am EST don't miss out this race will fill up within minutes!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

I hope everyone is having a very Happy Easter! Remember calories don't count on holidays so eat up! Candy is great for training right?!?!

Anyway on a side note, in honor of Marathon Monday Energy bits has given me the opportunity to give away an Energy Bits Swag Bag!!!! Also they are offering a 20% discount online when you use the promo code MARATHON so go over and order some bits!

ENERGYbits are only available at ENERGYbits.com,
and Jonathan (their Community Manager) has shared with me that he'd be
happy to connect anyone with a current ambassador to share a discount on
a bag of bits, or more info on their sample program - you can email him
at jlevitt@energybits.com

Happy Easter everyone and Good Luck to all you runners tomorrow it is going to be a great day!

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

I am having a hard time finding the words for today's blog but felt I needed to write about this......

The Boston marathon is a day I look forward to every year. I am from Massachusetts and Patriots day is one of the biggest holidays of the year for us. Whether you watch the marathon on TV or line the 26.2 route, it is a big day. I do not typically go into the city but am glued to the tv, last year being no different. I had stopped watching when I heard what happened I was on my way to an appointment but I immediately started texting everyone I knew that was at the race or running. Thankfully all my family and friends were ok, but this city and state will be changed forever.

Today is a day to be remembered not by the tragedy that happened but how a city came together as one to help out one another. We will forever grow from this and show whoever wants to mess with us that we will not back down and we will stand as one.

Friday, April 11, 2014

I was recently given the opportunity to review some products from My Oatmeal a company that specializes in customized oatmeal, as well as customizable dehydrated powdered peanut butter. I was immediately drawn to this company because the sound of making your own flavored peanut butter and oatmeal sounds amazing! I couldn't wait to try it! Also everything is made to order so you know it is super fresh and made exactly how you want it!

As soon as I found out I was given the opportunity to review it I went straight to the website to concoct my special flavor! I had thought I was going to get some peanut butter and some oatmeal but the more I thought about it and the more I looked at what flavors of PB there were I knew that is what I was going to order. I love the idea of oatmeal but it is just not my favorite thing. I try it and try it and want to like it but eat half of it and am all set. Peanut butter on the other hand that I could eat all day everyday!

I started looking through all the flavors and saw that they had a cake flavor and I knew that was going to be the first one! I used light roasted peanuts, cake batter, vanilla frosting and sweet icing flavors and some brown cane sugar granules. I knew I wanted to bake with it so I didn't want to add any fruit or anything crunchy. I named this one CAKE PB!!!!! Creative I know, feel free to come to me if you need an awesome name for your PB creation! The next flavor creation I came up with was.....wait for it.....Caramel Smores PB!!!!! (yes this is what I called it..I know I know best name ever don't be jealous!) Anyway this one consisted of light roasted peanuts as well, smores, dark caramel and graham cracker flavor. I also added the same sugar and no fruit or crunchy stuff. I played with my order a few times before I came to the final result and then eagerly awaited it's arrival!

My PB came in about a week maybe a few days less. I was headed out but needed to open it ASAP and smell it! As soon as I opened CAKE PB!!!! it instantly smelled like cake batter and I knew it was going to be delicious. Same with the Smores PB the smell was just amazing and really smelled like the flavors! The following day I made pancakes with the different flavors. I couldn't wait to try them! The PB came with a little recipe card on how to make these so I couldn't wait and whipped up two small batches. My boyfriend and I ate them and they were pretty good, a little dense but I liked the flavor. Even my boyfriend like them which was surprising he doesn't normally like the healthier food I try, however he said he could taste the protein in them....I beg to differ. I can't say whether I liked the Cake or the Smores better they were both so delicious!!

I also made chocolate chip cookies with the PB too with both flavors and these were super good as well. I just goggled a dehydrated PB cookie recipe and went from there. I think I liked these better than the pancakes but I will make both of them again to truly be the judge!

One thing I will say though is that I made this into regular PB and was not a fan. I needed it to have more of a nutty, sweeter flavor. I am completely fine with this though I would rather bake with it. It is much easier then using sticky peanut butter. You all know what I am talking about they ask for a 1/4 cup of pb and you are totally unsure if you have filled the measuring cup up completely and then you can't get that last bit out either so you just add an extra spoonful. Well ladies and gents this powdered stuff....much easier!

All and all I am super happy with the flavors I picked. I can't wait to try new recipes and create new things with this stuff! Also I feel better about eating pancakes and cookies when I know they have extra protein in them! I would absolutely recommend you go check out My Oatmeal and make some of your own creations!

Disclosure: I was provided this product via Fit Approach for my original thoughts and opinions on My Oatmeal